An investigation into different methods of encouraging voluntary intake of food in anorexic cats
Abstract
Anorexia is a common condition in cats associated with many underlying illnesses, and effective nutritional support is imperative to ensure rapid recovery and survival. To allow the gastrointestinal tract function to be maintained, manual feeding techniques, undertaken without the use of feeding tubes or intravenous catheters, should be used. Although various techniques have been researched and found to be effective in encouraging voluntary food intake, this research was undertaken to identify the most successful manual enteral feeding technique for encouraging anorexic cats to eat voluntarily. A randomized block design was used to undertake this research concluding that the use of hand feeding or feeding strong smelling, warmed and moist food were more effective than feeding the diet usually fed at home.
Anorexia is a common condition in cats, usually associated with an underlying illness. If anorexic conditions are not rectified, complications such as gastrointestinal atrophy, compromised immune system and delayed tissue repair are likely to develop (Chan, 2009). Manual feeding techniques such as the use of strong smelling, warm and moist food, hand feeding or feeding the diet fed at home should be attempted primarily, unless there are gastrointestinal complications, physical disabilities or the patient requires immediate nutritional support for survival. Appetite stimulants should only be used as a last resort as they do not have long-term benefits (Delaney, 2006).
This investigation analyzed the effect of feeding the diet fed at home, strong smelling, moist and warmed food, or hand feeding to encourage voluntary food intake in anorexic cats while hospitalized in the veterinary environment. This investigation considers manual feeding methods in more detail, with a view to presenting information on the most effective methods of encouraging food intake to ensure that anorexic cats are provided with simple, effective nu-tritional support. This will encourage a quick return to voluntary intake, thus minimizing complications and reducing recovery time.
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